Staff (e.g. administrators, support staff)

Bringing trauma-informed practice & care to all student interactions, not just in the classroom, is fundamental in the “whole-campus approach” model. When staff are addressed and engaged with in a trauma-informed way, it does not just provide them with a workplace where they can feel safe and thrive, it also models the most authentic way in which they can engage with the students they work with. When staff feel seen and heard, they can be at their best and better able to support student mental health within their own roles.

Safety

Staff must consider how to establish and maintain physical and emotional safety with the students they support. Accomplishing this could include building intentional rapport and sharing your name and pronouns at the start of an appointment to increase comfort and ease.

Choice

Staff should work to embody and promote choice within their client experiences. For example, being sensitive to the power dynamics that exist within a practitioner-client setting and ensuring that one is not controlling an interaction nor prescribing certain solutions. Staff should aim to provide the student with space to reflect, share, and weigh in on their own situation.

Collaboration

Staff should actively consider methods for making conversations collaborative in nature. For example, staff can establish the student’s goals for an appointment at the start and then check in with those expectations throughout. Staff should be open to adjusting the direction of the conversation based on student feedback. Simply asking, “Is this helpful?” or, “Is this the type of support you were looking for?” Direct collaboration and working as a team with students allow for their voices to be heard regarding what they want and need.

Trustworthiness

Staff should consider how to reliably build and maintain trust with the students they support. For example, following through on tasks such as sharing resources at the conclusion of an appointment.

Empowerment

Student supports exist to empower clients to take meaningful action towards their education and goals. Within the post-secondary setting, staff must embody this approach of empowering students, helping to build confidence, and form self-efficacy. For example, staff can validate a student’s non- linear education path while empathizing with the reality that students are under financial and social pressure to complete their studies.

Additional reading:

• Practical steps to provide trauma-informed career development by Meg Saxby
• Building trust, transparency, and empowerment with trauma-informed career services by Meg Saxby
• What it means to consider trauma within career development by Seanna Quressette
• Working toward trauma-informed career development organizations by Catherine Hajnal and Seanna Quressette.